Muzaffarnagar vs Kishtwar: Victims of Young leadership?

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The pain and sufferings of riot victims in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh has shocked the nation with media persons flashing the ‘gory’ pictures of violence from ground zero.

The centre govt has taken the state govt to task over showing laxity in controlling the violence.

The young Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is facing the heat as his govt gave a long rope to the trouble makers and wasted crucial time in controlling the situation from going out of hands.

The Governor’s office in Uttar Pradesh is also actively feeding ground reports to the centre and maintaining a close watch to ensure violence does not spread further to other sensitive areas of the state and loss of life and property does not take place.

In contrast none of this is happening in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

A month ago when clashes broke out in Kishtwar immediately after the EID prayers were over on August 9, 2013 the state administration and the police authorities present on ground zero were found sleeping and could not muster enough courage to control the rioting and arson across main markets of Kishtwar.

The media was not allowed to enter Kishtwar and meet victims of violence and those who lost their life savings in rioting and incidents of arson.

None of the victims could describe the mayhem they had witnessed in front of their eyes. In reality a deliberate attempt was made to hide the real truth from coming out and the state govt made every possible effort to censor the ground reports by preventing media persons from reaching the epicentre of violence.

By banning the social networking sites and other means of communication the state govt completely choked the voice of real victims as they could not show their wounds and share their sufferings and sorrows with people from outside world. Their own neighbors had conspired against them and looted them in an organised fashion right under the nose of govt authorities..

The Minister of State for Home Affairs who is also the local National Conference legislator was present in Kishtwar but even then he failed to set an example and could not lead from the front.

His conduct even came under the scanner and local politicians and political adversaries alleged his tacit support to the group of rampaging mob as they went on without facing any resistance from the policemen.

The district administration failed to assess the situation in time and delayed the deployment of army on ground zero. By the time the first columns of Indian army conducted flag march past 7.00 pm it was already too late for the businessmen belonging to the minority community to salvage their business establishments.

The Union Ministers praised the Omar Abdullah govt after the Kishtwar riots and defended the actions taken by the govt to contain the law and order situation from taking an ugly turn.

The office of the Governor did not intervene at all to instill confidence among the members of the minority community.

The commission of Inquiry constituted by the state govt to probe the incidents of violence and arson is yet to begin the probe. In short the victims of violence continue to wait for justice,relief and an opportunity to start their life afresh. They want to express their angst against the culprits who destroyed their dreams and brotherhood but till date they have not been able to do so.

The victims in both the states need healing touch but the young leader have failed them in their hour of grief and hiding behind the back of their mentors.